Black History Month: Cross Cultural Center Highlights Great Contributions
02/05/2021
February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and recognize the history, achievements and excellence of Black People around the globe. Each week, the Cross Cultural Center will highlight those who have made great contributions to the prospering of Black community and culture throughout history and in modern times, including those within the SLU community.
HISTORICAL FIGURE SPOTLIGHT
U.S. Representative Cori Bush
Cori Bush is serving her first term as the representative of Missouri’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the groundbreaking on several fronts - she is the first Black woman and the first nurse to represent Missouri; the first woman to represent Missouri’s 1st Congressional District; and the first activist from the movement fighting for Black lives elected to the United States Congress.
While in St. Louis, Rep. Bush was an active leader and activist demanding social change following the murder of Michael Brown Jr. in Ferguson back in 2014. In the years following, Bush continued her activism as a co-founder of The Truth Telling Project and as a leader of the protest group #ExpectUS.
Rep. Bush is the recipient of the 2015 “Woman of Courage” Award from the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. In May of 2019, she received the Herschel Walker Award at the 27th Annual Herschel Walker “Peace & Justice” Awards. In June of 2019, she was selected Top Nurse by the International Nurses Association. In October of 2020, the Jefferson City NAACP awarded Rep. Bush their prestigious “Trailblazer Award.”
STUDENT HIGHLIGHT
Aric Hamilton [he | his]
Aric Hamilton is a sophomore majoring in Secondary Social Science in the School of Education.
While at SLU, Hamilton has been involved in a myriad of leadership positions including within the Student Government Association, a Resident Advisor for the Leadership and Social Change Learning Community, U101 as a Peer Instructor, the Black Student Alliance and the Community Standards Appeals Board.
Hamilton is also serving as a Project Billiken influencer for the Division of Marketing and Communication.
A Black historical figure that Hamilton looks up to is James Baldwin.
STAFF HIGHLIGHT
Donna Bess Myers
Donna Bess Myers is the Interim Associate Vice-President/Dean of Students.
Affectionately called “Mama Donna” by some students, Myers has served at Saint Louis University for over 20 years with great care, kindness and compassion.
Myers, along with the staff within the Dean of Students Office, encourage students to take advantage of the multiple opportunities for leadership development, volunteer service, student engagement and multicultural activities offered at Saint Louis University and aim to facilitate the creation of a caring, respectful, and productive community of student learners and leaders.
FACULTY HIGHLIGHT
Chris Tinson, Ph.D.
Christopher Tinson, Ph.D., serves as the director of SLU’s African American Studies Program. Tinson’s teaching and research focuses on histories of Africana radical traditions, black protest movements, U.S. Ethnic Studies, incarceration, and race and sports. His writings and reviews have been published in The Black Scholar, The Feminist Wire, Radical Teacher, Equity & Excellence in Education, SOULS: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture and Society and Black Perspectives, among others.
His first book, “Radical Intellect: Liberator Magazine and Black Activism in the 1960s,” was published by UNC Press (2017).
Tinson has been an active member of several professional organizations such as the National Council for Black Studies, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and the Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora.
Most recently, Tinson wrote a special commentary on the mass protests for racial justice and equity in wake of the murder of George Floyd in June 2019, calling the University’s leaders, students, faculty and staff members to action in solidarity with those marginalized by prejudice and victimized by violence and inequality.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION HIGHLIGHT
The 100 Black Men of St. Louis
The 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis is an organization that was formed in direct response to the growing number of young people that are either falling through the cracks at school, or are already entangled with the juvenile court system. The goal of the organization is to identify youth who experience turbulent transitions to adulthood and offer positive support systems to avoid the pitfalls that can derail their lives. The organization also provides Health Initiatives and Economic Development Workshops for the community at large.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, The 100 Black Men of St. Louis has raised funds to offer free groceries every Wednesday to locals in North St. Louis City who have suffered from the economic impacts of the pandemic.
Submitted by Luella Loseille, M.Ed., assistant director of diversity and inclusion, Saint Louis University Cross Cultural Center.